Walt Disney's ESPN network may be interested in buying other rights from Setanta Sports, the Irish broadcaster that is closing its UK channel after losing its contract to show English Premier League matches.
"We always look and rights holders always approach us," ESPN International Managing Director Russell Wolff said today in an interview. "My guess is that process has already started. We look at anything that makes business sense for us."
ESPN yesterday won UK rights to show EPL games for the next several seasons after Setanta failed to make a payment. ESPN will show 46 matches this season and 23 in each following season through May 2013.The Premier League put the rights back out for bid after Setanta failed to make a £10-million ($A20.7 million) payment. The Dublin-based broadcaster had beaten ESPN to the rights for the 2010-2013 seasons in February. The purchase means ESPN will more directly compete with British Sky Broadcasting Group Plc in the UK.
"This puts us three steps forward from where we are now," Wolff said about the rights acquisition.ESPN and Sky work together in Asia on ESPN Star Sports, while the Disney unit competes with Fox Sports in Latin America. In the UK, ESPN will be carried and marketed by BSkyB and Wolff said the broadcaster is talking with other major pay television companies to make sure it has access to most UK households.
Wolff declined to comment on the financial terms of the purchase or what consumers will pay for the channel.The Premier League told broadcasters on June 15 that it may put the rights back up for bid and put the plan in motion when Setanta failed to make its June 19 payment. Offers were due yesterday.
"There aren't a lot of companies in the world who could even pull this off in such a short time," Wolff said.Setanta said its UK channels were going off air after it failed to raise money from investors and lost the contract to televise the soccer matches next season.
Deloitte was appointed administrator to Setanta's UK unit and about 200 of the company's 420 employees will lose their jobs, according to a statement issued in London.The company's Irish and international channels will remain on air and may be sold, Deloitte said.
LONDON
